Cambridge rogue trader used gaffer tape to fix roof

A rogue trader used gaffer tape to repair a leaky roof in a £6,000 botch job, a court heard.Jobie Newland convinced a Cambridge woman she needed urgent repairs to a flat roof after she had called him to get her gutters fixed in December 2015.She noticed leaking after the work was done, which continued despite Mr Newland and a labourer returning twice.Mr Newland, 28, of Malvern Road, Grays, Essex, admitted fraud and was given a nine-week suspended prison sentence.At Peterborough Magistrates’ Court he was also ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work and pay £2,000 compensation.

A Trading Standards survey found the roof would have cost £14,500 to repair and the work “was not carried out in accordance to the invoice”.When the woman rang Mr Newland for a third time to fix her leak she was unable to get hold of him so called in another roofer who showed her pictures of its condition.Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s head of Trading Standards, Peter Gell, urged people “to be aware of rogue traders”.He added: “If you are advised about urgent repairs it’s worth considering having a survey carried out and obtain three quotes from reputable builders or roofers.”
Source: BBC Cambs